A Long Line Of Montana Teachers

Just this year, Savage High School hired a new industrial tech teacher, Riley Hagler. Hagler is a fourth-generation graduate of Savage High School and a fourth-generation Montana teacher. "I went to high school in Savage and my mom teaches there and I thought it would be really cool to teach with her," said Hagler. "I've always really liked Savage and I knew that it was a place where I could get my foot in the door and help out with coaching."

Right after Hagler graduated in Dec. 2020 from Montana State University, Bozeman, he applied and received the teaching position in Savage. "I have loved teaching here so far. Although, it is really weird coming back to a school I just graduated from not too long ago. I think it is funny because I was a teaching assistant for 4th graders when I was a senior and now those students are all freshmen and they still remember that."

Hagler's goal as the industrial tech teacher is to have every high school student take at least one shop class. He also wants to encourage community involvement. "I'd like to get a lot of the students working with businesses in Richland and Dawson counties so that they are able to talk to industry people and see the different avenues that are out there for them," added Hagler. 

Teaching seems to run in Hagler's family - his mom, Jean Candee, has been teaching science at Savage High School since 1988 and his grandfather and great grandma were also teachers. "That is just something I've always taken a lot of pride in," stated Hagler. 

Hagler's grandfather, Bruce Kron, was also a science teacher for many years. He taught throughout Montana including Havre, Corvallis, and Livingston.

Mary Kron, Hagler's great grandma, taught in Montana for several years and all six of her kids became teachers as well. She continued to teach even after retirement - in her 70s she was called out of retirement to go teach in a one-room schoolhouse in Zortman, MT, where she taught for a couple more years. 

When Jean Candee was asked how she feels about working with her son/former student, she said, "It sounds kind of odd, but he is actually not the 1st - I've been teaching so long that I actually teach with four former students on the staff right now."

Candee expressed that she was happy her son is carrying on the "teaching tradition." She said, "It is becoming such a hard profession and there are not very many people going into it anymore." 

"I hope more people consider going into teaching because although it is really challenging -it is also a very fulfilling profession."